Victoria has introduced nation-leading legislation to ban the public display of the Nazi* swastika.
Under the Nazi Symbol Prohibition Bill, which was introduced by the state government on May 11, it will be a crime for a person to intentionally display the Nazi symbol in public.
Doing so could lead to fines of almost $22,000, 12 months imprisonment or both once the legislation is in effect.
It means Victoria will become the first Australian jurisdiction* to ban the public display of the Nazi swastika.
Anti-Defamation* Commission chair Dvir Abramovich said there was a “Nazi swastika epidemic” in Victoria, describing it as battle between “good and evil”.
“We have a Nazi swastika epidemic in this state,” he said. “Not a day goes by where we’re not seeing it graffitied or online or seeing it being sent through the mail or email.
“For a Holocaust* survivor to see a Nazi swastika graffitied or vandalised, it is as threatening as being faced with a gun. It tears a hole through their heart.”
Dr Abramovich called the announcement an “uplifting” and “triumphant” moment for all Victorians.
“A democracy* is not just about the rights that we have, it’s about what we are willing to tolerate,” he said.
Read the article by Hamish Spence in KidsNews.